MEDFORD - Second-ranked Middlebury College overcame a 13-point second-half deficit and got a last-second block by junior James Jensen (North White Plains, NY) to secure a 70-69 win at Tufts in NESCAC men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gym.
The Panthers remained unbeaten, improving to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in the league. They were led by 13 points apiece from senior tri-captain Jake Wolfin (Woodcliff Lake, NJ) and sophomore Hunter Merryman (San Marino, CA).
Tufts, which led 37-30 at halftime, dropped to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in NESCAC. Freshman Tom Palleschi (Haverhill, MA) scored a game- and career-high 27 points in the loss.
The Jumbos trailed for just 20 seconds in the first half and led by as many as 13 points (37-24) after a traditional three-point play by senior co-captain Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) with 1:57 remaining. However, Middlebury got three-pointers from Wolfin and Nolan Thompson (Akron, OH) in the final 90 seconds to narrow the margin to 37-30 at intermission. Palleschi had 15 points at the half on 7 of 10 shooting. Seven points by Wolfin led the Panthers.
Tufts scored the first six points of the second half to open up a 43-30 advantage on a layup by sophomore Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT). Palleschi's hoop at 12:57 gave the Jumbos a 52-39 margin.
With Tufts leading 58-49, the Panthers initiated a 14-3 run that turned the game around. Six different Middlebury players scored during the stretch as they surged to a 63-61 lead on a layup by Jensen with 4:39 on the clock.
A layup by Palleschi tied the score at 63, but the Panthers scored the next five points and led 68-63 with 2:45 left. Palleschi continued to dominate with a layup making it 68-65, but Middlebury's Peter Lynch (Westford, MA) responded for a 70-65 Panther margin. Jumbo junior Oliver Cohen's (Penn Valley, PA) jumper closed it to 70-67 at 1:39.
Out of a Tufts time-out, Middlebury missed a lay-up that Palleschi rebounded. At the other end, his layup pulled the Jumbos within 70-69 with 24 seconds on the clock. Following another time-out, Jensen turned the ball over on Middlebury's next possession. However, he made amends by blocking a last-second Tufts attempt and Wolfin grabbed the rebound to win it.
Four Panthers scored in double digits overall, including 12 points each by junior Joey Kizel (Short Hills, NJ) and Lynch. Kizel added nine rebounds and five assists, while Wolfin and Thompson both recorded seven boards. Middlebury out-scored Tufts 15-6 at the line.
Palleschi was good on 13 of 18 field goals in the game and made three blocks. The Jumbos finished at 50.8 percent (30/59) overall. Freshman Stephen Haladyna (Hamilton, MA) added 14 points to the Tufts attack and Anderson had 10.
The Jumbos are off until traveling to Bowdoin for a NESCAC game next Friday. Middlebury hosts Connecticut College that night.
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